KNOW THE HISTORY OF THE OLDEST TEMPLE – BAWE VALI MATA.

How the pindi was thrown by baba sukhdev in river tawi and how the Mata was bought back?

According to Rajiv Charak, President Bahu Fort Development Committee it is after Maharaja Bahu Lochan got Veer Gati, that Durg of Bahu Fort came into being. This is where the Dogras came from and hence the people at that time were called “Durggar”. At that time there were huge white elephants which lived in this place and they were very dangerous. So, the people built Durg’s, an underground place to live. The people who lived in them were called “Durggars” the name further changed to duggar and finally the name “Dogra” originated.

Before the sculpture of Maha kali was established in the premises there was a temple in this place before of which nobody knew of. So they refered to the godess as “Devi”. Gulab Singh bought the sculpture of the powerful deity “Kuldevi” from Kolkata and then the name of the temple came to be known as Kali mandir. One day Bahu Lochan decieded to the pindi to take it out but, as he dug deeper, the pindi further lowered. It kept on going deeper and deeper until it was 20 feet underground. This made it hard for them, which signalled that the pindi did not want to come out.

During 18th century the Mata came to Jammu. At Maha Kali Darbar Conference the goddess used to come in different forms and gave food to the kings. She came in search for the king with all the qualities and powerful traits in order to acknowledge her true devotee. Maha Kaali once came in the avtaar of a small girl and found Gulab Singh as her true devotee and took a promise from him that whereever he will take her, she will become a pindi and all she wants is “Behnsa ki bali”, whereas Baba Sukhdev who was the priest at Narsinga mandir did not support the bali system. But, the godess did not agree. One day the behnsa spoiled all the things at Sukhdev’s thakur dawara which got sukhdev angry and he threw the pindi at the back of the fort in river Tawi.

Then Ranbir Singh saw the goddess in his dream and the goddess said you are sleeping in your bed comfortably and your Kuldevi is in river. He immediately went and saw that it was true but could not find her in the river. The goddess again came in his dream and told him to apologize Sukhdev ji and tell him that no Bali will happen in the premises. Then raja thought Sukhdev baba is angry with the deity so I should take her to Jammu and not the fort. But, Magically the weight of the pindi increased and the elephants could not move from that place and when told for Bawe they ran so fast. it is believed that the goddess wanted to stay at the fort itself where Gulab Singh had taken her initially.

The most busy days of the temple are Sunday’s and Tuesday’s. Devotees make “sukhaan” for whatever they want and give “shilli bali” or Bhandara to the deity.